Expenses for a Motorbike Road Trip in Vietnam

I receive lots of emails from readers wanting to know how much a motorbike road trip through Vietnam will cost. Below, I’ve put together a list of necessary expenses and worked out what an average daily budget might be while on the road in Vietnam. These costs are based on hundreds of road trips that I’ve taken – both solo and in a group – over many years of motorbiking in Vietnam. Of course, to a certain extent, expenses for a motorbike road trip in Vietnam will depend on how much you want to spend. In general, I have assumed that most travellers on motorbike rides in Vietnam fall into the budget to mid-range category, and are willing to stay in local guesthouses and eat local food. I have estimated the following prices accordingly, so you can relax and stay within your budget.

One of the biggest expenses will be your motorbike. For this, there are two options: rent or buy. Without going into details about the pros and cons of renting vs buying (that’s for another post), in general your motorbike will cost you around $10 a day.

Rent: If you choose to rent your motorbike, you should do so from a reputable company: Rent a Bike Vietnam and Flamingo Travel are both professional, efficient and reliable rental services, and they can usually arrange pick-up and drop-off in particular locations around the country. Rental costs per day will depend on what kind of motorbike you want. But, for the most common motorbikes – standard automatics or semi-automatics – the cost will be around 200,000vnđ (around $10) per day. If you’re renting for a week or more you should be able to negotiate a discount.

Buy: You can buy a used motorbike, such as a Honda Win, for as little as $200, but you will have to spend money on maintenance before and, most probably, during your trip, which, aside from being a nuisance, will increase the costs considerably. However, there is another way: Tigit Motorbikes offers various motorbikes, all in excellent condition, for around $1,000 – sounds expensive, but wait! Tigit will then guarantee buying back the motorbike at the end of your road trip for $750 depending on the motorbike and the duration of your trip. So, in many cases this works out at far less than $10 per day, and you can rest assured that your motorbike has been well-maintained, because it’s in Tigit’s interest to keep their motorbikes in good condition as they will be buying them back and using them again.

Rent a standard motorbike for around $10 a day: it’ll take you anywhere you want to go

Once you have your motorbike, your biggest daily expense while on the road will be accommodation.

Guesthouses: Unless you’re sticking entirely to the beaten track, you will be spending most nights in nhà nghỉ (local guesthouses). These can be found all over the country – even in the remotest regions – and are usually great value for money: 200-350,000vnđ ($9-16) for a double or twin room makes them particularly good value for couples or two travelling companions. If you’re travelling alone and you bargain politely you should be able to get a room for 150,000vnđ ($7). For much more about nhà nghỉ read my guide to local guesthouses here.

Camping: One way to significantly reduce the cost of accommodation is to camp. This is definitely an option on remote stretches of road, such as the Western Ho Chi Minh Road, or where there are designated campsites, such as the Ocean Road. However, it does mean taking more equipment on the back of your motorbike and, if you’re camping in the ‘wild’, you should be very careful when choosing a site to pitch your tent. For more on camping in Vietnam take a look at my camping guides archive here.

Search all kinds of Accommodation in Vietnam:Camping can cut costs on a motorbike road trip in Vietnam

How much you spend on gas will depend on the distances you intend to cover each day, and on the type of motorbike you’re riding. A long day on the road in Vietnam is around 300km; a short day is around 100km. Of course there will be days when you will be static and this will offset the average daily cost for gas. Most standard motorbikes have a 3-4 litre tank which will take you around 100-200km, depending on the condition of the motorbike and the terrain you’re covering. At the time of writing (April 2016) gas prices were extremely low: At around 16,000vnđ per litre, a full tank only costs between 40-60,000vnđ ($2-3). On average – over your entire road trip, taking into account the days that you will be static – you will probably only use one tank of gas per day.

Buying gas at an ‘unofficial’ filling station in the Central Highlands

When it comes to food – and especially drink – how much you spend is down to you. Eat local street food for all your meals (which in itself is a great experience) and you could pay as little as 20,000vnđ (under $1) per meal. If you are eating locally, a large, hearty breakfast or lunch accompanied by a coffee or a soft drink should never really be more than 50,000vnđ ($2) per person. Dinner can be just as cheap but, after a long day in the saddle, most travellers feel the need for a few ice cold beers and a relative banquet. This will probably double the cost: 100,000vnđ per person will get you a feast, including alcohol. When you’re riding along the coast, it’d be a shame to miss out on the seafood, but this too can cost a little more. Based on a bowl of noodles and a coffee for breakfast, a soft drink and a rice-based meal for lunch, and a large dinner with beers, 140-200,000vnđ ($6-9) per day should cover it. When riding in isolated areas of the country, most meals will be at quán cơm phở (local rice and noodle joints) which you can read more about here.

Allow a few dollars per day for extra costs. These might include entrance tickets for attractions, sites, museums; minor motorbike repairs, such as a flat tyre; roadside snacks like a packet of biscuits; and lots of water to keep you hydrated. Also, leave room for some ‘luxuries’: a sunset cocktail at a smart beach bar, or a western meal in a big city after days of eating rice in the mountains.

Bear in mind that the calculations below include the cost of your motorbike, which, in reality, will be paid as a lump sum at the start of your trip: either when you pick up your motorbike from the rental company, or when you buy your motorbike. The following estimates are per person, per motorbike, per day: travelling two on a motorbike or travelling in a small group will significantly reduce the average daily cost, because you will be sharing the expenses for room, food and gas. If you’re on a really tight budget you can probably manage to shave off 100,000vnđ ($5) from The Ascetic:

Yes, it is possible, and it is OK as long as the bike is in good condition and some kind of rack is attached to it for the bags to be strapped to. Most of the recommended motorbike rental companies in the right sidebar and bottom of all my pages equip their bikes with such a rack. Try contacting them and asking. You can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.

However, it also depends of the regions you will be riding in, and the season: if you’re planning to ride in very mountainous regions, such as Ha Giang, then the heavy load on the bike might take its toll after going up and down so many steep hills. And the issue of comfort with two people and luggage if you’re ridding in the hot and humid months should be a consideration too, if you’ll be on a long trip.

Did you post a similar comment on a different page recently? I did reply to that comment but perhaps you didn’t get the email notification. Anyway, here is my answer:

You don’t have much choice for stops between Prao and A Luoi, because there are no towns between the two of them. So you could spend an extra day in each of those places if you like – both of them are interesting, scenic and relatively remote off-the-beaten-path little towns. Other than that, you could stay an extra night in Hue – there’s lots to see in that city – and maybe spend a night on the beach on Thuan An Peninsular, or the lagoon south of Hue, or Lang Co. Also, Danang is a very interesting up-and-coming city these days, and then of course there’s Hoi An.

I have a Vietnamese driving license. Rules and regulations regarding licenses are not set in stone and seem to be in a constant state of flux, and the vast majority of foreign riders in Vietnam do not have a local license. I would suggest contacting any of the motorbike rental agencies recommended on my site and asking them for more information. There are links to Tigit Motorbikes, Rent a Bike Vietnam, and Style Motorbikes in the right sidebar and bottom of all my pages.

hello Tom, I can’t say how thankful I am that your website exists! I booked a flight to Hanoi this december and i plan to do the ff consecutively:
Cat Ba- Halong
Sapa / Fansipan
Extreme North Loop
NorthEast Loop

However, since I wil go to Hanoi by night train, Im not sure how I could rent a bike that I can use moving forward to the loops. You mentioned that Flamingo and Rentabike can deliver to wherever in the country? Have you had any experience of this please? Thanks and I’m hopeful to get a response.

You can rent your bike in Hanoi and put it on the train to Sapa (although it might go on a different train to you). Check out the links to the motorbike rental companies that I have in the right sidebar and bottom of all my pages: Rent a Bike Vietnam, Style Motorbikes, Tigit Motorbikes. They all have offices in Hanoi. You can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.

Hi Tom,
Im heading to Vietnam for 5 weeks at the end of September to film a solo motorcycle adventure documentary. I was planning on leaving from Hanoi and venturing through Cambodia and Laos while heading south to HCM. Do you think that I will have enough time to see these other countries or is 5 weeks only enough to explore Vietnam?
Thanks for any help.

Personally, I would spend all 5 weeks in Vietnam – then you will have time to explore the regions north of Hanoi as well as riding south to HCMC.

However, most bikers do rave about Laos, so I’m sure there’s some great riding to be had there too. Although the road network is not as extensive as Vietnam, and road conditions vary even more than they do in Vietnam. Check out Laos GPS for more about biking there.

Love your site, its very helpful in planning my upcoming trip in the north! Wonder if you know if its possible to hire a guide together with the motorbike at one of the bikeshops you mentioned, and if so, how much does it cost? I’d like to ride pillion with the guide as I’m not a very good rider and the roads in the north seem pretty daunting..

Rent a Bike Vietnam might be able to arrange a guide; it’s worth asking them.

Most people who want to ride pillion tend to hook up with an Easy Rider: these are Vietnamese bikers with lots of road and travel experience who specialize in taking foreigners on the backs of their bikes around the country. There are quite of lot of similarly named groups out there now so do a bit of Google research first.

I’m not sure about Hanoi – I don’t know where they hang out there; probably near one of the bigger backpacker hostels in the Old Quarter. Certainly in Dalat it’s easy to arrange an Easy Rider when you’re there, so I don’t see why it should be any different in Hanoi.

It’s fine to post a question like this here, but as I mentioned before, you are probably more likely to find other riders to join on the road by posting this question on the Vietnam Back-Roads Facebook page.

Quick question which i’d very grateful for if you could answer:
-Roughly how long does it take to travel 100 km on the highways? I know this depends a lot on traffic and stuff but could you give me a rough guide?
(If you want specifics: we’ll be setting off at 5:30 AM in the mornings, and we are all amateur bikers so won’t be driving too fast)

I know that’s a stupid question to ask cos it varies so much but i’ve been looking at folks who take a whole day to travel 100-150 km. What do you think? I was hoping you could cover that in 5 hours!

Yes, you’re right, it does depend on the road you’re on. But in general, if you are on a good highway with reasonable traffic, you can expect to average 40km an hour. So 100km should take around 3-4 hours, including stops for gas, photos, maps checks, drinks, snacks etc.

However, on very mountainous roads, especially in the far north, your average speed can drop to 30km or even 20km an hour. This is partly because the roads are smaller and full of twists and turns, but it is also because the scenery is so good that you’ll want to stop again and again h

Leaving at 5:30am and keeping your average daily distance down to 100-200km a day is a smart thing to do if you have the time, and you’ll enjoy it all much more.

Not sure if this is the best place to include this but I have seen some posts concerning tickets here. I am a few miles short of 3000 and have been stopped once and received a ticket. It was ata road block in Mui Ne. I showed my blue card and they asked for international drivers license which I did not have. They had an official looking fine sheet that showed that infraction was 800000 to 1200000. As I was looking through my money he said 500 okay, so I paid it and on my way

Yes, Mui Ne is infamous for police stopping foreigners on bikes are then extorting all the money they possibly can. 500 is not so bad; it should be around 200-300 but don’t take it too personally – it happens to all of us at some point.

This is not totally related to finances but if you are considering a trip, my opinion is that a mask with a clear face guard is the way to go. It will help big time in rain and also keeps down wind fatigue, possibly a little city pollution although not sure on that last part… you can also open it up if you want the wind in your face at times.

Hi Tom, Great post full of information and your price estimation will certainly help a lot.My friends and I are planning to have motorbike ride in Vietnam for next vacation.Can you please tell me which season or month it is most suitable to have motorbike trip and recommend me some place???

You can read about seasons and when and where to go in my Weather Guide. And for recommendations about where to go on a motorbike road trip I suggest that you browse through my Motorbike Guide Archive to get more of an idea of the kind of rides that appeal to you.

Vietnam has very complicated weather, so it’s difficult to generalize. But, nationwide, the best time is either late spring or autumn: April/May or September/October. For much more detail about weather and when and where to go take a look at my Weather Guide.

Myself and four friends (from the States) are planning a three week motorbike trip from HCMC to Hanoi (roughly a la your itinerary). Having been to HCMC previously, I know how hellacious traffic is in Vietnamese cities. Do you have any recommendations for how to minimize risk while riding out of HCMC into the much safer countryside? Times of day, routes, etc.? We are using Rent-A-Bike and picking up the bikes from the Saigon train station on May 18. Our primary concern is maximizing safety while on the road!

Further, we are all outdoors enthusiasts and are planning to camp out roughly two of every three nights on the trip as a way to save a bit of money and enjoy the terrain! Any advice on camping? Particularly nice spots you had along your route? Ways to not draw attention to ourselves? Logistical suggestions? We are planning on hammock camping!

Firstly, if you’ve been using my Scenic Route guide, take a look at my most recent post instead outlining 5 suggested routes from Saigon to Hanoi here.

Yes, the initial 1-2 hours out of Saigon is ‘traditionally’ quite horrible – in any direction. However, you can minimize the ‘pain’ by leaving early (really early) in the morning – trust me, it’s worth it: leave at 4 or 4.30am and the ride will be much smoother. If you’re heading towards the coast from Saigon you can take the ‘Back Road’ out of the city to the highway, which involves a short ferry ride (it operates 24 hours). Just zoom in on the relevant parts of my maps in the previously mentioned Saigon to Hanoi routes guide and click on the map pins for links to more details on this or any other part of the route.

For more information about camping see my camping guides here and check my replies to comments at the end of these guides as they contain some more tips. Even if you can’t find a good spot to camp for the night, you’ll never be too far from a cheap nhà nghỉ (local guesthouse) which I’ve written more about here.

Particularly good areas for camping include the southeast coast and the Western Ho Chi Minh Road – again, just click the map pins on the Saigon to Hanoi routes and follow the links to more information on these areas.

If you can’t find what you need, email me and I’ll answer your specific questions.

Great stuff Tom,
I am moving to HCMC at the end of July. It would be great to meet up for a cold one. What district would you recommend for a Yankee to live in? One more is there a lot of people playing tennis? Thanks for all the information.

Well, that depends on your budget and the kind of area you want to live in: if you like your western-style comforts then districts 2, 7 and 1 will suit you; but if you want to go a bit more local try Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan districts. Also, you’ll want to decide between a house or an apartment: I prefer a house because there’s more space and more contact with the area you’re living in, but many foreigners prefer apartments because it’s more secure and convenient. Take your pick!

As for tennis, what’s your level like? I play regularly with some good ex-college players from the US and Europe. Let me know if you’re around that level. If not, just try posting for tennis partners in the Expats Ho Chi Minh Facebook page.

Hi, I am going motorbiking in Vietnam shortly, and I am still unsure whether to hire or buy a motorbike. I’ve heard stories of people hiring bikes, and getting charged ridiculous amounts of money by the hire companies for minimal damage (just a scratch), and I was wondering if this would be the case with the two companies you recommended?
Also, another problem is that you can’t get personal liability insurance cover in the UK for motorbiking abroad, and so wouldn’t it be easier to buy insurance as part of hiring the bike, rather than buying a bike and then having to go and get insurance separately?
I’m probably leaning to towards hiring rather than buying, but I just wanted to check these couple of things with you. Thanks so much!

Whether to buy or rent is a common question. In the past I would suggest that renting is better for shorter stays – of 3 weeks or less, for example – and buying is better for longer stays. But thanks to good rental companies, such as Rent a Bike Vietnam and Flamingo, who both offer pick up and collection in Saigon, Hanoi or Danang, it’s now even easier to hire a bike for your south to north trip (you can find a link to Rent a Bike Vietnam in the right sidebar and bottom of this page). However, thanks to Tigit Motorbikes it is now also very easy to buy a bike and sell it back, even for shorter trip of less than 3 weeks. This is because Tigit guarantees that they will buy your bike back once you reach Hanoi (or wherever it is that you’re going to). This means that their bikes are in excellent condition because it is in their interest to properly maintain them because they will be buying it back and using it again. It works like this: you pay for the bike – usually $1000 (sounds like a lot, but wait), then when you reach Hanoi they buy it back from you for $800 or $750 depending on the length of your journey and the period of time. It works really well – I’ve done it myself – and the bikes are much better than anything else you can buy for $200. Check out the Tigt Motorbikes website – there’s a link in the right sidebar and bottom of this page.

I can’t really give you much help with the insurance – but it’s very difficult to get covered for motorbiking in Vietnam, without paying a premium for it: it’s worth it, of course.

Yes, that is THE question. There’s always talk about international licenses being accepted, but to the best of my knowledge they are still not officially valid in Vietnam. However, this should not stop you from undertaking a motorbike road trip in Vietnam – the standard fine is 200,000 ($10) if you are unlucky and get stopped by the police.

If you like you could post the question on the Expats Ho Chi Minh Facebook page – you will no doubt get conflicting answers there too, but it’s worth it. You can also contact a reputable bike rental/tour agency to see what information they have – try Rent a Bike Vietnam (you’ll find a link to them in the right sidebar and above the comment section on this page)

Hiya! Great info. My partner and I are heading to Vietnam next week and would love to get a bike. You see a lot more of the actual country this way we like to think. As we are only there for a month, we are thinking we might save ourselves the hassle and just rent a bike. We have our big bags, about 25kg total, plus us. Do you know of any rental companies that would have bikes to rent that would fit us both on and have a bag rack? Would be easier to buy and get a rack made, but time constraints! Thanks, Holly

A month is decent amount of time to have for a country-wide road trip in Vietnam

Yes, renting a bike probably would save you some hassle. Try Rent a Bike Vietnam (you’ll find a link to them in the right-hand sidebar and bottom of this post). They should be able to sort you out a good bike and some saddle bags to carry your stuff, or at least some advise about how/where to get a rack fixed. You can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.

Hi Tom! Super excited to bring my teen son to Vietnam. First trip there and first time choosing to road trip! I should think it wouldn’t be an issue to buy motorbikes on arrival but I’m wondering how the selling can be acheived before our departure flights?? Any thoughts? Any tips on what we shouldn’t miss in the Ho Chi Minh area before heading to Hanoi? We will need to loop back for our departure flight as well so perhaps a coastal path on the way there and inland on the way back? Thanks so much for all of your artcles and advice! It makes a first timers experience so much better

Yes, it’s not too difficult to buy and sell bikes in Vietnam. You can check noticeboards in backpacker hostels, cafes and bars or try the Expats Ho Chi Minh Facebook page too. The same goes for selling the bike. However, this process may bite several days into the beginning and end of your trip. I recommend renting a bike instead: you can easily rent from Saigon or Hanoi and then return it either in Saigon or Hanoi at the end of the trip. Good bike rental companies include Flamingo Travel and Rent a Bike Vietnam – you can mention Vietnam Coracle if you like, they know me.

In general, the best way to do the route is to stick to the coast in the south and head inland to the mountains from the centre to the north. Take a look at this route map and click on some of the links to my motorbike guides to get an idea of what where everything is. Also have a look at my North-South Archive.

I am planning to drive to hanoi from Mui Ne so I’m going to buy a bike in Mui Ne. Do you think an automatic is ok or should i buy a semi-automatic? I heard that to going to Da Lat the road are very up and down and it coast me more fuel with an automatic. But i never drive a semi-automatic before.
Can you give me advice about what do think i should buy?

Yes, an automatic motorbike, like the Yamaha Nouvo or Honda Blade, is perfect. These automatic bikes will make it up and down any of the hills and mountains in Vietnam. Just make sure the bike is in good condition before you buy it. Everyone says that automatics use more fuel, but it really doesn’t make that much difference to the overall cost. Especially if you are used to an automatic then buy an automatic

Hi Tom,
Thank a lot for your information. It’s so useful for me this time. I’m planing to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi by motorbike on October. But It’s quite not easy for a girl . So I’m finding a partner who wants to travel like this to go together. However, not yet found. By the way, thanks again.

Your blog is a find! I’ve already sent the link to 12 people who are going to vietnam this year. We are going to Vietnam for the month of November and were looking to kayak around Bai Tu Long Bay and Halong Bay but now are considering motorbiking your northern route and the falls. How hard to learn to ride a motorbike like the one in the photo. I’m a cyclist and the last time I had a dirtbike I was 15.

Thanks. Learning to ride a bike like mine is very easy. You’ll already have the balance from riding a bicycle. My bike is an automatic so you literally just turn the key and it goes. Gears are automatic, and brakes are the same as a bicycle. However, road ‘rules’ in Vietnam are difficult to get used to, especially in the city. But once you are out in the countryside it shouldn’t be a problem.

The problem for you is that November isn’t necessarily a great time to ride the north: it can be cold, grey and miserable at that time of year. But then again, the same is true of Bai Tu Long Bay. Personally, I would choose a road trip over the bay, mainly because it can get very touristy in the bay these days. Either way, you’ll have a great time

There are usually bikes available to buy on Criagslist and there are also bikes regularly advertised on the Facebook page for Expats Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a good idea to join that page and post about buying a bike and see what comes up.
You can also try some of the more reputable bike rental places is Saigon – they often have bikes for sale too. Flamingo Travel has an office in Saigon now and I think Saigon Scooters might have some for sale.

Also check the noticeboards in any pf the popular Pham Ngu Lao (the ba

…sorry I got cut off an the end of the previous reply. Check the noticeboard at popular guesthouses and bars in Pham Ngu Lao (Saigon’s backpacker district) – there are usually bikes for sale there.
Good luck.
Tom

What a useful piece of information, Tom! When I did the motorbike trip with my friend Kevin last year, I had to send him a similar list of expenses prior to his arrival in Vietnam. From now on, if any of my foreign friends ask me for helping with this, I just simply share your post :).

Thanks, Thao.
Yes, I hope it’ll be a useful guide for anymore considering a road trip in Vietnam. Of course, prices will go up year upon year, but in general this has been how much I’ve spent on most of my road trips.
Tom

No mention of obtaining a Vietnamese driving licence.
In Dalat recently they wouldn’t hire you a bike without one.
Although you can get round this, if you have an accident and you haven’t a licence, any health/accident travel insurance won’t pay out.
I heard of travelers who did get around it, had an accident and the police confiscated the bikes. VND3m to get each bike back!
Thanks for another useful post.

Yes, that’s right. But, it is still quite unusual to be refused rental without a Vietnamese license, even the most professional bike rental services accept that the process of obtaining one is rather long-winded and most travellers do not have the time to do this. However, things are getting better, and there are rumors that soon an international drivers’ license will be accepted in Vietnam.

As for travel insurance, you are right again. But as travel insurance is for the whole trip – not just for the road trip – I consider this a general expense, just as airfares etc.

As for the fine, this is definitely a chance you take when riding in Vietnam. Most reputable rental companies will give you their contact number so that you can call them if and when you encounter the traffic police. However, even with all necessary documents – license, ownership papers, visas, insurance – which I currently possess, the police can still extract a bribe from you – sometimes it hasn’t nothing to do with breaking the law.